The prologue to the next great DC epic starring Batman, Green Lantern and the rest of the Justice League is here from Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, Andy Kubert and John Romita Jr., with DARK DAYS: THE ROAD T ...

Action Comics #987 - This issue contains the inevitable reveal of the identity of Mr. Oz. If you’ve been following this book, you’ve likely guessed by now that it is Jor-El with Ozymandias being an early red herring. I suspect the story will now shift from the who to the why of Mr. Oz and his actions. I’ll be honest that I am not enamored with these kinds of stories but Dan Jurgens tells them so well. I also love the Capullo-esque quality of Viktor Bogdanovic’s art which is reinforced by shipping the same week as Dark Nights: Metal #2. So I’ll be reading to find out.

Dark Nights: Metal #2 - Wow. The floodgates really start to open with this issue. We’ve been building for a few issues now but this issue feels like the rollercoaster really starting to get going. I loved the panel below. This is such a crazy book that even seeing that shocking moment doesn’t really ruin anything. I’ll be curious to see where everything goes with the new villains introduced in this issue along with where exactly Batman is now.

Mister Miracle #2 - This book is a bit darker than I generally like but I feel like it is exploring some dark subjects, suicide and depression, with some level of respect. The beginning of the book uses of a 9 panel grid that gives a feeling of relentlessness similar to the use of music in Dunkirk. It seems Scott and Barda are being played by both sides with Orion being equally as evil as Granny Goodness. I like the directions this book is going and hope it continues to be this good.

Youngblood #5 - Still loving this book and its links to the classic Youngblood world. This opening arc has one more issue. I’ll be curious to see how it resolves.

The preludes are worth picking up Dave, they are part of the build up and part of the reason I’ve enjoyed the 1st couple issues of the main series so much, because I thought that build up was pretty well done.

The preludes are worth picking up Dave, they are part of the build up and part of the reason I’ve enjoyed the 1st couple issues of the main series so much, because I thought that build up was pretty well done.

I agree, they were pretty well done and set the table nicely, even if they sometimes leaned heavily on exposition. You could definitely just read the main book but I wouldn’t recommend skipping those to people who have the money and interest. Especially if they’re not up to date on current DC.

And to be clear to David, the first two Metal issues have referenced stuff that happened in the Dark Days preludes many times. Those prelude books are not necessarily essential, but they also not extraneous. I know in the past DC and Marvel have done “issue zero” types of books that are just fluff but that’s not what this is.

I read the Teen Titans Metal tie-in last night (issue #12) and liked it quite a lot. It continues into the upcoming issue of Nighthawk, so it’s kind of like a side story that happens alongside the main story, and it’s not a bad premise. No spoilers but I’ll put it in spoiler quotes in case people want to go into it cold:

First to go back a bit—when all the Dark Batmen appeared, they did so through the creation of a mountain in the middle of Gotham (this mountain is where a bunch of the action in Metal #1 and #2 takes place). In this side story, the big villain of Metal, Barbatos, basically goes into Arkham and grants some of the inmates almost god-like power to fully realize their insanity without any limitations. These villains, now massively powered up, have each created a ring around the mountain that is sort of their “world,” shaped in their image. What happens in this side story, is that Damien, working alongside other characters I won’t spoil, have to make it through each ring to the mountain at the center. This first issue takes place in Riddler’s ring—essentially a giant labyrinth.

That’s a fun idea for a story! While it isn’t perfect—the villain of this issue is brought down a bit too easily, I suppose—I am really enjoying this Gotham twist on Marvel’s old “Inferno” crossover. As it is looking right now I would recommend picking up every book related to this event, without reservation. It’s not reinventing the wheel but it’s good, fun, epic comics.

I just spent an hour or so reading Dark Days: Forge and The Casting, followed by Dark Nights: Metal #1 & 2. Really good stuff. I can’t really add anything more to the commentary than everyone else here has already done, but this feels like both a logical continuation of Snyder & Capullo’s Batman run, and a bat-shit crazy Crisis level event. I’m impressed. This is a great antidote to those overwrought Marvel events of the last few years. Some of it’s a little cheesy, and the Carter Hall stuff is a little heavy handed in its portentousness, but that’s easily overlooked. With Ra’s Al Ghul’s appearance I do wonder how much of this will build off the back of things that have been happening in Detective Comics recently. Roll on #3.

Speaking of which, Detective Comics #963 & #964 was another one of those interlude stories, continuing Spoiler’s adventures outside the team. This one also had a pretty meaty B-plot featuring Clayface.

Whilst I’m a huge fan of the Alan Grant/ Norm Breyfogle run Anarky has never been a favourite character. He continues to be a douchebag here too, playing Stephanie like a fiddle. The ramifications of which could prove disastrous down the road.

X-Men Blue #11 - another new artist debuts on this book. Sigh. As much as I like this title, I’m beginning to find the artistic changes from issue to issue a little disheartening. And, if doesn’t help that this issue’s story goes nowhere fast.